ISSA Show Off to a Rockin’ Start

ISSA Show North America 2019 got off to a rockin’ start Monday thanks to spotlight speaker Marvelless Mark Kamp®. Drumsticks in hand, audience participants beat out a rhythm to his motivational presentation comparing business success to a rock star.

According to Kamp, developing a rock star mindset can help you set goals and increase your profitability. “And you don’t have to trash a hotel room or hang out with groupies—well it depends on your expense account,” he quipped.

The key is to remember the four chords of rock star success—Chords A, B, C, and D.

Starting from the D chord, Dreams, Kamp encouraged participants to have big, unreasonable dreams or BUDS. “You don’t want to just get by, you don’t want to be an average distributor, supplier, or cleaner,” he said.

Tie your dream to three performers. Like Kiss with their spandex outfits and outrageous makeup, determine what your business is willing to do that others are not. Like Jay-Z, whose goal was to change the rapping world, determine how you can change the industry. And like Lady Gaga with her goal of personal excellence, determine how you and your team are going to be brilliant every day.

The C chord represents Change, that is, intentional change, not reactional change. Like rock star, successful businesses purposely reinvent themselves, not only keeping up with trends but creating their own. “Don’t end up in the business graveyard with companies that refused to find new songs to play or new fans to listen to them” Kamp cautioned.

The B chord, Band, refers to your employees. “Surround yourself with the right kind of people,” Kamp said, adding that great things are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people. Using the example of bands that broke up because of personality and ego conflicts, Kamp urged employers to “let each person play their part, then honor their contribution.”

Finally, don’t forget to hit the A chord for Action. “You need to take action that will directly bring you to your BUD,” Kamp said, advising audience members to set aside time each day to work on reaching their goals by managing their distractions, such as emails, text messages and meetings. Kamp also warned that companies or rock stars that get too comfortable get complacent instead of getting ahead.

Kamp concluded his presentation by revealing the five category winners in the 2019 ISSA Innovation Award Program.

Monday was a day dedicated to education, with sessions and workshops on a variety of topics from green cleaning and human resources to infection control and sustainability.

Yolanda Wilson-Patterson, a Georgetown University doctoral candidate in nursing, provided attendees an in-depth look at what epidemiology is and how it relates to healthcare facilities in her session “Epidemiology and Environmental Services.” Outgoing IEHA Counsel Chairperson Zainudeen Idowu Popoala Aromire asked attendees to high five one another before introducing Wilson-Patterson, who began her presentation by examining how infections spread. Key to the session was a discussion of how and when diseases become a large-scale issue and spread throughout a facility. Wilson-Patterson provided the best-practice steps for a proactive approach to disease control within healthcare facilities:

• Ensure staff is well trained in infection control, with at least one full-time (or full-time equivalent) infection preventionist per 100 beds
• Use evidence-based guidelines that rely on nationally/internationally recognized prevention plans
• Educate all health care staff using specific strategies with bedside simulation training in addition to text-based training to reduce health care-acquired HAIs
• Provide a clean and hygienic environment.
  
  

Wilson-Patterson pointed out that infection-control programs and their staff’s knowledge are hugely responsible for the rate of infection in healthcare facilities. She also highlighted the importance of education in infection control as disease reemergence becomes an issue, with diseases adapting and ancient bacteria being released from climate changes-induced ice melting.

On the human resources side, Jeffrey Butler, a millennial generation expert and technology speaker who spoke on “Managing Four Generations in the Workplace” dispelled myths on the characteristics of each generation and offered solutions to help workers of all ages communicate effectively.

Butler said common misconceptions about each generation, such as Gen Xers are negative and don’t trust authority and millennials are entitled, lazy, and love technology, were created in the media. “The more they can make a problem, the more they can sell a solution,” Butler said. He maintained each group can work cohesively despite the age difference.

It is true that each generation has a different mindset. For example, a baby boomer who had a doctor appointment in the afternoon would be more likely to take an entire day off work, while a Generation X worker would not take off and be available later in the day via email and a millennial would simply work around the doctor visit, as he or she would be more likely to have a fluid work schedule. This difference in opinions about work schedules has led to resentment in the workplace, which some workers feeling others are getting more perks

Butler suggests three tactics to get your multigenerational workers to work cohesively together despite the age difference. If you can schedule a paid volunteer day, when workers get together in a different environment for a common cause, this helps them see each other in a different light. Water cooler chats, which are simply opportunities for workers to share information not related to work, brings them closer together as they realize they have more in common than they have differences. A reverse mentor system, which pairs an older company leader with a younger new hire, provides the opportunity for senior members of the team to get a fresh new perspective and for the junior members to feel valued.

Monday was just the start of an exciting week here in Las Vegas. Things ramp up today with the opening of the show floor. Check back for the latest news straight from the Las Vegas Convention Center.